Chapter Three
That was probably one of the stupidest things I had ever said to a girl. Sure, back home I mainly kept to myself but if I did try to get a date I never made a reference to a video game. I had also never asked if whoever the girl was had a name. I'd ask their name but not 'do you have a name?' What kinda stupid question is that?
"We're almost there," she announced. I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever get there.
Soon, I was able to see the old wooden cabin peekin' through the trees. Yes! I can finally text Ethan and tell him about this crazy chick.
As if she was readin' my thoughts, the girl suddenly says, "Remember, you can't tell anyone about me."
I shuddered at the tone of her voice. It was just. . . . weird. Well, she did get me back. . . .
"It's just beyond those trees," she stated. I glanced in the direction I'd heard her voice. "Don't try to find me again. I won't help you find your way back next time." Whoa. Her voice practically completely changed. It didn't even sound like the terrified girl that I discovered earlier. "Understand?"
"Whatever," I said after a moment. I tried to play it off like nothing.
Suddenly, something tackled me to the ground and laid on my back. "No, not whatever. If you try to find me again or tell anyone else, you will regret it. Got it?" she growled in my ear.
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Good," I heard the smile in her voice. Can you say bipolar? She jerked me on to my feet but didn't let go. "When I say three, you're gonna go into your little cabin and play with your silly city boy toys and forget any of this ever happened. I'm gonna run as soon as I let you go even so, I'll know if you turn around to see me again, which I know you wanna do—" sarcasm, nice "—and you don't wanna see me if you turn around." She paused for an answer; I nodded. "Ready? One . . . two . . . three!" She roughly pushed me forward. I heard her dog running to catch up.
I shuddered. There was no one would find out about that. No one – especially Ethan – could ever find out some crazy chick roughed me up. I brushed off my shirt and walked inside.
* * * *
"I cannot believe I tackled –" I stopped mid-sentence, my smile disappearing immediately when I realized what could've possibly made me spaz like that. "Red! It's happening again!" I cried to my dog sleeping on the couch, making her awake with a start. She gave me a concerned puppy look. "What if it really is?" She barked as if to say that it wasn't what I thought it was. I raced up to my room and slammed the door.
I pulled my shirt a little and examined my stomach in the mirror. Red whined outside my door. "Hush Red, gimme a sec!" She got quiet.
I breathed a sigh of relief at finding the lack of red spots on my stomach. I opened my door and let my coon hound onto my bed. "False alarm – well, so far. I'll know for sure when I take a shower tonight." Mom and Dad can NOT find out about my freak scene. Or that boy, I thought calmly putting a Josh Turner cd into the player then laying down on my bed. His deep bass voice always calms me down completely.
I had drifted in and out of a daze-like sleep, when I heard the garage door creak open. "Shirley? Shirley, I'm home," my mom called from downstairs.
"Okay," I called back. She had gone to the store for more groceries and junk like that. She didn't actually spend too much time at home now-a-days.
One time I thought long and hard about why she was always gone. She didn't have a job outta the home. At the time I thought it was because she didn't like me and wanted to get away, now I think it's just so she has something to do when neither of us are particularly in the mood for company.
I trudged down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. "Hey."
She turned around. "Hey honey. Can you help me finish unloading the car, please?"
"Yeah sure," I sighed. Dang, I was depressed again for no reason.
"Are you okay Shirls?"
"Yeah, just tired I guess," I lied.
"Alright then." She went back to unloading all the random [but probably muchly needed] stuff she bought.
I opened the garage door and walked down to the open trunk of the van.
* * * *
"Dad?" I asked over the phone. Sometimes Stephanie answered his cell.
"No, it's Stephanie." I rolled my eyes. Of course. "Where are you, Jesse? Are you okay?"
"Can you put Dad on?" I asked briskly.
"Sure thing sweetie." I hated it when she – or anyone else -- called me that. More quietly, I heard, "Andrew, its Jesse."
"Oh. Alright." He replied from a small distance. I heard it pass from her hand to his. "Where in the world are you boy? You got us worried sick!" He demanded loudly, into the speaker.
Yeah sure I did. "Look, I'm sorry. I just got separated from you guys and didn't know where you were. I didn't have reception so I went back to the cabin," I explained, already agitated with his anger issues.
"Well, just stay there. We'll be there soon. I'm glad you're safe." His voice was thick with fake concern. I knew he knew I knew it was just for Stephanie's sake. What he really meant was; when they got back, I was in a world of trouble and I wouldn't see my phone, iPod or anything else I loved for a long time.
"Okay. See ya." He didn't hear me. He'd hung up before I said a word.
I groaned. Ever since he and Mom got divorced, he'd been near impossible to live with. I wanted to know why I couldn't just go live with her in D.C. He'd said that 'she wouldn't have been around to be a proper parental figure.' Yeah right, like he was supposed to be Dad of the year.
And in comes Stephanie. She was the reason they'd gotten divorced in the first place. She was about six years younger than my dad. That's not so bad I guess but she acts like she's still in college. And I've seen her checkin' out some other guys. I tried to tell Dad once but, he said I was bein' 'unreasonable and lyin' about a perfectly wonderful woman'. Yeah right.
The only good thing about all this is that I got to do some things that Mom would never have let me do. Like my piercings. I had a lip ring, and two ear rings on my right ear. My mom hated piercings anywhere but a girl's ear. Even then she only liked single piercings. She did think that some girls could get away with piercing their belly buttons but how in the heck was that gonna help me?
I also had a motorcycle. Mom hated motorcycles. And Bowser. I had Bowser. Mom didn't like Rottweilers 'cause they could be 'unpredictable'. I had argued that that was only 'cause of abuse and crap like that but she said no.
Well, now I had piercings, a motorcycle, and a Rottweiler. A pretty sweet deal. But it came with a lousy dad and his immature second wife. Awesome. I guess it sorta evens out. That doesn't mean I gotta be happy 'bout it though.
Maybe an hour later I was in the middle of texting Ethan tellin' him about how I got lost and found my way back – leaving out the girl -- and then callin' my dad and him overreactin' and how I'm not gonna be grounded for one or two weeks after this trip was over – not like this wasn't punishment enough.
I had just finished my story when in walked the happy couple. "Speak o' the devils," I grumbled. g2g c ya I pressed send then turned off my phone.
"Steph, why don't you go rest in the room? That was quite a tiring hike," my dad said, locking eyes with me.
"Okay, thanks honey. I'm glad you're okay Jesse."
Dad grinned until she was gone then took two giant strides over to me and grabbed my shirt pulling me up to his face.
I watched his face turn blood red in a split second and prepared for the worst.
* * * *
Dad got home around 7:30 as usual. We ate our Hamburger Helper in a strange silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, just. . . . I dunno not really peaceful either, though. I dunno, I wasn't really there at dinner, I mean sure I was there but I just kinda spaced out. I wouldn't have known even if they had been talkin'. I was too distracted about my skin. What if it really was happening again?
I hurried upstairs after puttin' my plate in the sink. I quickly grabbed my pj's and got in the shower hardly waiting for it to get as warm as I usually like.
For a few moments, I was fine. My stomach was the red I had feared so far, just the regular pale color it always was. I sighed thankfully and looked at my stomach one more time just to be sure. I sucked in a breath so fast I choked. My skin was darkening and getting red. I rubbed my hand over it and felt the hives that confirmed one of my greatest fears. It was coming again and It was already taking hold of my thoughts and actions. I began to sob. I cried so hard my entire body shook and I had to sit in down on the floor of the shower. The water continued to fall down on me as the tears continued to fall harder and harder.
